now four headlines at 4:00. number one, it's nice now but storms are headed our way. we're going to show you when to expect it to hit. number two, an erratic fedex driver caught on camera and today 8 on your side finds out if civilian drivers did the right thing by pulling him over. and non-working 911. the emergency system finally came back online. and number four -- >> reporter: i'm representing news channel 8 in the media carting competition.

you don't want to miss it. >> he's doing something fun. >> he is. good afternoon. i am josh benson. >> and i am stacie schaible. this is first at 4:00. right now, we have bad weather on the way. here's steam team 8 meteorologist julie phillips. >> thank you, stacie. we are going to be tracking a strong line of storms tomorrow. but at this point, it's still warm at sun city center, 80 degrees with the winds from the southwest around 5 miles per hour, partly cloudy sky, no rain just yet. but some places have seen showers roll through today. a pocket of heavy rain in a few inland spots. around lake placid toward the north, northeast making its way through. so decent downpours. not going to last too long. and farther to the north, tracking some showers around zephyrhills. these are headed towards dade city and moving towards the north and east but again,

where we're looking at the potential to see strong to severe storms and most of us will see some rain. here's the system bringing strong storms across louisiana and mississippi at this point and it's shifting toward the north and east. and the cold front will move through our area tomorrow bringing us a strong line of storms. through the evening, just the slight chance to see a few showers like i showed you on the radar. overnight, quiet but tomorrow morning, likely seeing some storms moving through. we will talk about the timing of those storms and also the severe weather threats coming in the full forecast in a few minutes. guys -- well, right now the 911 emergency system in sarasota county is limping back to normal. just a few hours ago, people calling 911 from their home or office phones may have received a busy signal or even a recording. >> news channel 8's peter bernard is on top of the story. >> reporter: callers to the

experienced frustration as they tried to get help. between 1:00 and 2:30, callers on a regular line and not a cellphone may have heard a recording or a busy signal. a spokesperson blamed the problem on verizon. the agency would not provide someone oncamera to explain what you should do you have an emergency. the agency suggested callers use a back-upset of six numbers to get ahold of an operator. when i called verizon to find out what was going on, a spokesperson told me he didn't know it was a problem, it was the first he heard about it and later informed me because of my call, they switched the 911- center to a back-up system. with the back-up lines now operate, callers to sarasota in answered. and techs are trying to figure out what went wrong. news channel 8. >> thank you, peter.

control fedex driver caught on video behind the wheel. another driver recorded the driver yesterday as he slows to 5 miles per hour and then speeds up and nearly veers into the wrong lane. he runs several cars off the road. the driver tried to talk the driver into pulling off the road. >> i wanted to get him off the road so nobody was going to get hurt. he is getting ready to come into two major intersections and there's a lot of traffic, a lot of restaurant, possibly some kids there. >> hillsborough county deputies did not make an arrest because the keys had been removed from the ignition. a spokesman tells us that the other drivers did the right thing by getting him off of the road. right now, an uber driver is behind bars facing six counts of murder in michigan

now taking note. matt galka explains. >> reporter: while the details of the michigan shooting rampage are still being sorted out, groups here in florida are telling lawmakers that people protected. they are calling for stronger background checks and pending uber legislation to try to better help protect people from person. insurance problems are driving the build currently in the state capitol but a lobbyist says uber should be facing the same regulations as cabs do. >> i think the michigan shooting puts more exclamation points behind, you have got to have real background checks and some notion that it creates an is hogwash. >> reporter: the florida house passed a bill that requires fingerprints. i'm mat gal chasm -- i'm matt galka.

>> and a game show border dispute. david daniel has today's hollywood minute. >> to our friends in the west -- >> number six on the 10 list. >> what do you want? >> your president. >> that's not going to happen. >> reporter: london has fallen co-star morgan freeman is almost as well known for narrating movies as starring in them. and now he can narrate your commute. the oscar winner can guide you to work, home or your local theater on waze. work, work, work >> reporter: rihanna is working it. her latest single "work" has hit the top of the billboard hot 100. her 14th number one on the chart. that puts her in third place all-time for hot 100 leaders behind only the beatles and maria carey. >> reporter: the jeopardy host is from ontario but it appears

welcome on his game show. new jeopardy rules rule out canadians from appearing on the show. it's unclear which laws would keep them out of jeopardy. in hollywood, i'm david daniel. >> and we did some research and found out there are two canadian laws that could bar them. and one is the anti-spam legislation. and the digital privacy act which sets rules for how personal information can be collected and disclosed. hollywood's getting a bad rap this week for the lack of minorities in the movies. we will look at the the issue next. and when is the right time for your child to pick a sport? well, 8 on your side wants to know coming up on first at 4:00.

well, hollywood is a straight white boys club. that's according to a new study on the fill. and television diversity. >> after evaluating more than 11,000 speaking character, just under 28% were non-white. and now audiences see one female for every two males on the screen. and gay, lesbian and transgender characters make up only 2% of characters with speaking roles. >> and the study come just days before the academy awards which is already under fire for a lack of diversity for a second year in the row. >> reporter: the focus is supposed to be on the best in film. >> and the oscar goes to -- >> reporter: but much of the conversation leading up to the oscars is being dominated by what the acting categories lack, diversity. >> the best actor is -- oh, my god, i knew it, it's a five-way tie, tall white guys!

year in a row, the academy award acting nominees are all white. the immediate backlash led by jada pinkett smith. >> let's let the academy do that. with all grace and love and let's do us differently. >> reporter: and film makerrer spike lee -- >> my wife and i, in all good consciousness, we cannot attend the academy awards. >> reporter: so in response to the controversy, the academy's leadership moved swiftly to institute more changes to increase diversity among voters. the goal to double the number of women and people of color by 2020. >> the academy is overwhelming white and male. a lot of the members believe the new rules are ageist, reverse racism. >> i don't think there's a number of white people going,

anybody black or latino. so it's about a number of the people that this country represents. not having access at a very early point in this process. >> y'all just got a snapshot of how americans really feel. >> reporter: indeed, voters can't cast their ballots for movies that show a wider range if those films are never made in the first place. >> it's getting those kinds of minority-driven movies into the oscar conversation, that is the difficult part. >> i would like to see more people step up because we're going to be in the right side of history. >> reporter: cnn, hollywood. >> and the oscars are this sunday, february 28th. and joining us now for another look at the weather, it's julie. >> yes, and we are talking storms. >> and change. >> yes, some change.

>> yeah, i'm a meteorologist though,. >> it has been beautiful though. >> and i enjoy the nice weather as well but we have big changes coming for tomorrow with tomorrow's cold front. so we are starting off with about a 70% chance of storms tomorrow. so more than likely, not just going to see rain but also storms rolling through the neighborhood tomorrow during the day. and then into the rest of the week though, next weekend, notice rain chances down to zero. and then looking at a dry period after that. and we want to talk about the chance of storms that we have. it's starting up tomorrow morning and we will start to see the showers and storms moving onshore. and by noon, widespread showers and storms moving through tampa bay area. and then we will start to see the line moving into more of the southern areas starting to exit as we head into the afternoon hours. temperatures tomorrow though, still staying mild. no need for the jacket, generally in 2307s through the day. so at this point, quiet on the radar but we have seen some

east of i-75 like we were expecting. in highlands, just to the east of sebring, this is a decent downpour towards the north and eastern highlands county. so east of 75, a couple isolated showers this evening but really it's tomorrow where we start to see the action. there's the cold front. and around 8:00 a.m., we will start to see the showers and storms moving onshore and they'll make their way from the northern counties to the the day. by your lunch hour, notice they're in the heart of the metro area around tampa, st. pete tracking heavy downpours. and the potential to see severe weather as well. and then by 5:00 p.m., the rain is out of here, exiting moving south of the pam bay area. and then behind -- the tampa bay area. and then behind the front, the northwest winds kick in. so it's going to be windy and breezy with the winds on thursday. it is going to be cooler, highs only in the mid-60s. there's the changes and the threats for tomorrow. yes, of course some decent downpours but flooding not a

we will see some lightning but these shouldn't be too intense. we are more concerned about the threat to see damaging winds and the possibility to see an isolated tornado. and now is the time to make sure you have the weather app or a way to get weather alerts. cooler temperatures expected behind the system in the 60s thursday. and tall way through the coming weekend. -- and all the way through the coming weekend: >> thank you. if you're like a lot of people that need to jump start their savings plan, today we continue our two-part series on simple things you can do to get going. always great to have you here. >> thank you. great to be here. >> saving money, this is for everyone. because everyone can save a little bit of money. today's first tip of the day, shop your pantry. >> yes, we eluded to this last week. you accumulate a lot of food in the pantry and in the freezer and: it's all in the back or the side.

simply look at what's in there, you would be surprised how many meals you can extract out of the fridge and not have to go shopping as often. >> i was talking to my wife about this not long ago because it's easy to say, just order food. but at home, there's so much there. >> and we don't always have to stock for a hurricane. >> and it's scary to think what's in the back. >> that's right. >> and shop the prescriptions. >> there was a big article last week about a website you can go to. you can look at the different places like blink health and go in and you can actually -- they'll do the bidding for you and find pharmacies around the country. you can go in and get your medicines. so it's not just that website. look for the different places because it's not just the convenience of the pharmacy you normally go to. shop around and you can probably find more deals. >> and prescriptions run the gamut on prices. so just a few bucks here and there or it could be a lot of

and sometimes pharmacy coupons are cheaper than insurance. >> most people think when you have insurance, it's cheaper. talk to the pharmacy, they might have coupons that are cheaper. >> so start at home and look at the food and the prescription, there's money just hiding there. >> that's exactly it. >> some great tips. thank you for being with us. >> my pleasure. >> stacie, back to you. is your children an athlete? if so, they have already selected their sport? and at what age should a child go all-in on one sport? 8 on your side wants to know so i sought some expert opinions. >> reporter: when you're little, it's all about fun. but at some point -- the. >> no balls hit the ground. >> reporter: sports get serious. >> well, living in florida, it's easy to play a lot of sports year-round. >> reporter: jim is the director of recruiting for recruit look, a company that helps high school athletes get noticed by college scouts and

kids specializing in one sport too early. >> physically, they're not building different muscle groups by not playing multiple sports. it doesn't mean they have to play three at one time in one week but sports are designed to be seasonably based. >> if he crashes -- >> reporter: like baseball, a spring sport that even the pros don't play year-round. >> i think a kid needs to continue to develop all around. >> reporter: he is the head baseball coach at tampa catholic high school. he had a career himself. playing in the minors in the 1988 summer olympics. he's a firm believer in kids playing multiple sports. >> it gives you, one, a break from the main sport and an opportunity to learn another sport in which you may be better suited. >> reporter: so not pigeon holing your child too soon is hugely important. >> once you get to the high school level and probably around the 10th grade, into the 10th grade season, now you need

sport, and i think that's where parents go wrong, it's what's going to give you the opportunity to now reach your ultimate goal. >> we got an idea. he's trying to go. >> reporter: is that college athletics or even playing pro? >> i know a lot of multi-sport athletes and when you get into high school, a lot of high school coaches, depending on the sport will encourage that, football players to wrestle. college coaches, across the board, love multi-sport athletes. >> get the ball. get the ball. >> reporter: but to answer the question of when -- so what age do you specialize in one sport? >> i don't know that there's a specific age. it could be 1 , 13 years old, maybe. basically when does puberty hit? >> and the coach his it's good to keep a kid hungry for a sport they love. he likens it to not eating for a while and you start to have cravings.

craving a certain sport and that's why time-off from it can be valuable. >> good point. that time of your life when you're trying to figure out -- >> but back when we played, you played multiple until high school. >> and now it's so hyper- focused. coming up next on first at 4:00, why the governor is in ybor city today. and then later, do you want a phone as powerful as a computer or maybe one with an amazing camera? yes, please. i will bust out the best and newest phones. and a look at the lightning as they gear up to play at home. can they keep up the winning streak? we're going to the find out.

welcome back.

4:00 sports with dan lucas. >> anybody up for hockey >> yep. >> it's the chase. >> we are looking for another win. >> they are hot. they are back to hot. a week ago, not with this team. the goaltender tonight, as always, everybody wants to know who the goalie is going to be. the boston bruins lost monday night so the lightning woke up this morning, still in second place in the atlantic division with 70 points but the roller coaster fires up again tonight coyotes. tonight. they are just one point behind scoreboard watching. how did we get here? lightning. six points to leapfrog three teams over the weekend. and one reason for the win, especially the two road wins was defense. we talk the all the time about the goaltenders but the lightning have improved their play defensively and that said, the bolts aloud 39 and 31 shots

quality of the shots that has decreased. >> you know, to get back on track, you know, get up to in both games, both pittsburgh and standard to have. and for us to move forward, that's going into the game, we can't run and gun. that's not going to win you hockey down the road. now continue to focus on playing good defensively and good things can happen. pitchers and catchers. still the center of focus at ray's camp but we're starting to hear the bats a little bit. the early arrivals for position player, if first full squad workout for the rays is friday morning. i love spring training. by the way, he spoke today about the ray's trade for the outfielder.

him. you're going to give him some pitches. >> got it. back to the lightning, how many games are we down? and how many teams in the mix? >> 23 game f my math is to play. 70 points, that's same number of points as the bruins but the lightning have the tie breaker and. the red wings are a point back. and the penguins, two points back because that's the wild card issues. tonight f the lightning lose, red wings win, we flip flop. >> stay tuned. >> yeah.

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four headlines at 4:30. number one, president barack obama announcing his plan to shut down the prison at guantanamo bay, cuba. the plan calls for sending detainees back to their homelands and remaining prisoners would be held in maximum security prisons in the united states. congress has to approve the plan. number two, the sports

courtroom where her attorney says she was shocked, humiliated and traumatized after discovering someone had secretly filmed her nude and posted the video on the internet. she is suing the owner and the manager of the marriott for $75 million as well as the man who pleaded guilty to stalking her. number three, would you vote to have an island of snakes near your property? yikes. massachusetts wildlife officials want to relocate about 200 wild timber rattlesnakes to an isolated island. it's a 1400-acre island that is off limits to the public. right now, they're meeting to discuss the proposal. and number four, a baby gorilla is doing well. look at. that after being delivered by a c-section in a rare operation at a zoo in england. the 11-day-old gorilla weighs two pounds and 10-ounce, tiny. doctors did the c-section because the mother was showing

there have only been a few of these operations in the world. >> yeah. cute little guy there. well the governor is spending time in the bay area. >> that's right, today he attended the grand opening of office. it's creating 40 new jobs. already employs 200. ashley furniture as a whole has more than 64er hundred workers across the state. and in tallahassee today, lawmakers debated reform. >> it's a top priority of governor scott but he may not get all the money that he's looking for. >> reporter: governor rick scott has been single minded in what he wants from state lawmakers this year, a billion dollar tax and it $250 million for a revised economic development effort. today it became clear that $250 million was anything but certain.

two hours debating reforms to the governor's economic incentive program, those passed but the governor got no money whatsoever. >> strengthens the process we are currently under. it providings no dollar program. >> reporter: right now, the senate is supporting the $250 million but there's zero in the house budget. out. reporting from the state capitol. i get to tear it up in one of these carts right here in palmetto. and it's all to kick-off the grand prix season. and then you will want to stick around for these 8 on your side stories. >> reporter: allison huffman is in big trouble for killing a tow truck driver but wait till you see what she was up to six years n ago. >> reporter: this dog has been all over social media, found

neighborhood and now he needs your help to save his leg. >> reporter: you may call it the big snip but this guy won't even know the difference. i'm gene ramirez, debunking spay and neuter myths. (phone ringing) you can't deal with something, by ignoring it. but that's how some presidential candidates seem to be dealing with social security. americans work hard, and pay into it. so our next president

to keep it strong. (elephant noise) hey candidates, answer the call already. know you can keep your financial big picture under control. know you can see how much you have to spend and whether you should transfer funds. know you can easily keep track of what you're putting away. and know you're budgeted for the

since president barack obama just announced a plan to close the prison at guantanamo bay, we wanted to revisit a series of 8 on your side stories from back in 2006. >> that's when news channel 8's keith cate went to the prison for an inside look. check it out. >> reporter: crystal ball waves crash against -- crystal blue waves crash against rocks at the feet of cactus-covered mountains. parts of guantanamo bay, cuba look like an undiscovered

but man is the one isolated here in time and space. imprisoned in six by six cells, surrounded by miles of fence, beneath endless coils of razor wire. >> camps one, two and three are for compliant prisoners. >> reporter: they call this place camp dell. that it's on the u.s. leased navy base that's on the 45 square mile southeast tip of cuba. this is where american troops detain suspected al-qaeda and taliban militants. >> it's a mission that needs to be done. >> reporter: the mission, confine, interrogate and try america's most wanted terrorist suspects. >> i think it's an important mission for the united states. and i think it's an important mission for the world. not everyone agrees. >> reporter: like the united nations. the human rights council believes detainees have been tortured, confined for years without cause.

close down the guantanamo bay. >> reporter: camp commanders don't see that happening any time soon. as for torture, we're told it doesn't happen here. >> i would say that the staff itself is doing their best to provide, like you said, the humane treatment. and they act professionally. there is, you know, you're not starting trouble. there is a controlled use of force whenever force is done because that's what we do and that's what we do as professionals. so i would say there, is no torture going on. >> reporter: critics worldwide may want detainees tried without further delay or released but at what price? >> we have detainees here who have sworn to kill americans if they ever get out of here. >> reporter: among them, the master mind behind the 9/11 attacks, he and 13 others flown in from secret cia prisons on the very day we tour get moe. >> we know a number of them will go back to the fight as a number of them have gone back

>> reporter: as many as 50 detainees released from get moe have returned to the battlefield to fight against american troops. and today 430 remain in camp delta. some cleared for transfer or release by independent review boards but forced to wait in legal limbo. >> we have over 100 detainees that are on the list to be transferred in one form or another and those countries haven't taken them yet. >> reporter: until those countries can negotiate a transfer, gitmo will resume. it's one of the reasons they granted our request. they wanted us to see the once very secretive prison camp for ourselves. >> we're the most transparent in the world, bar none. >> reporter: to a degree. military escorts kept us in constant check new york city detainees faces, no interviews without supervision, no shots of the landscape that might

in fact, a screener approved every picture we took. >> flip flop, small bar of soap. >> reporter: still it's unprecedented access granted in hopes of providing information that might dispel what the military believes is gitmo's unfair reputation as a cruel, inhumane location. >> the conspiracy theories and the lack of information and the kinds of things that the lack of of information stimulates. >> everybody gets a koran regardless of their status. >> reporter: the information supplied during our four-day tour is designed to stimulate a more positive view of what the military is doing. and what we see is impressive. dedicated members of the military serving in the face of great criticism in a place of great contrast. keith cate, news channel 8. >> and keith says they were not allowed to speak with detainees, they barely got a good look at them.

historic visit in march. you will see more stories at 5:30 7:00, and will 11:00

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welcome back. it may be time to break up with your cellphone. mobile companies are launching their new models. and i did some research and found the features go far, far beyond just talk and text. >> reporter: 2016 is about to get crazy with mobile so let's begin. hp is taking the next cellphone and making it your computer. it unvailed the elite x3, a tablet-sized phone that's made for business, powerful enough to dock at the desk and use as if it were your full-sized computer. >> fast enough to get the shot that passes in the blink of an eye. >> reporter: never miss a shot with sony's x with hybrid auto focus.

next move leaving you with sharper images and low light game. and steady shot technology caterpillar, yes, that caterpillar just introduced a phone with a camera that can finally answer the question, are you hot or not? it includes integrated thermal imaging and it's water-proof and rugged enough to be used by construction workers. samsung once again launched two version of its new premium phone, the galaxy 7 and the 7 edge where the industry is gathered for the mobile world congress. it used to be that cellphones were used for phone calls but get ready for vr. virtual reality. samsung debuted the gear 360.

videos that can be up loaded to facebook and youtube or viewed as experiences on the virtual reality headsets. incredible views that are out of this world and light years beyond your old camera phone. >> think of the weather you could record on that. >> i am so excited, the camera thing of course is awesome. >> it's taking off. >> are you going to get a new phone? >> you actually do need a new phone. she asked me the other day can you look at the video, it's blue. >> is it a flip phone? >> it's not that bad, guys. >> that was the other phone. >> yeah, you do need a new phone. >> yeah, get one of these. and this week, severe weather awareness week. >> timely. >> the storms we have moving through. today we are focusing on rip currents for today which if you live here in florida, you know how big and dangerous those can be. so you can see some of the graphics here showing you those areas that you can kind of locate them if you are at the beach.

of course, you can listen to us as well and we will let you know of a rip current risk but that's the dangerous channel of rushing water that can suck people out. if you are stuck, remember to swim parallel to the shore until you are out of that and can reach safety. so always a good reminder of course as we enter beach season here in the tampa bay area. and for us, generally we are looking at still some warm weather around but the changes are coming. the cooler weather is moving in with the front. at 9:00 p.m., partly cloudy and maybe a lingering shower. but tomorrow it's where we're concerned about the threat for strong storms. the front arrives with the storm starting tomorrow morning. by 3:00 p.m., a lot of the storms have moved southeast of us and will be exiting the area. and temperatures still mild tomorrow but some changes coming. here's the low pressure area we're watching, bringing strong storms to mississippi, louisiana and we've had tornado warnings in this region today. some tough storms. this is moving south and east

our area tomorrow. at the moment, tracking showers in the inland spots east of i- 75 today. and nothing too major. although we have seen some decrept downpours coming down. and these moving towards the north. and we have seen sprinkles and other showers in eastern pasco county, northeastern hillsborough county today but those have since quieted down. for the evening, maybe a couple lingering showers inland. and tomorrow morning, there's the front. the line of showers and storms arriving around 7:00 a.m. and by the lunch hour, st. pete, tampa, heading out, expect to see showers and storms around, maybe a good day to pack the lunch with the rain expected. and by late in the afternoon hours and the even, things to clear out. and thursday, breezy northwest winds kick in. it will be cooler, highs in the mid-60s on thursday. and then into friday, chilly start, back into the 40s. but again, tomorrow we are under a threat to see some severe weather. i think the biggest threat will be strong and damaging winds and then of course some isolated tornadoes as well.

get our weather alerts and as we head through the rest of next week, looks quiet, mostly sunny but cooler with temperatures stay manage the 60s through the weekend. a popular online video is creating smiles for people normally frustrated by exercise. a northern california woman created the wine workout and facebook page. the woman behind the footage. >> reporter: as a mother to a toddler, the 24-year-old april story knows her time is limited and like mothers know, healthy living can be a struggle. >> reporter: home with her daughter and her husband on display. but what resulted has now been seen by roughly 25 million people worldwide. the 15 second video posted in workout. >> i was getting ready to do a workout and i saw the wine and i was like, that would be funny

workout video. >> reporter: she tells me this is her life, simple every day home exercises. not necessarily all always the wine, that was just one of the dozens of workout videos she's posted. >> that's what facebook is for, sharing the things we do every day. >> reporter: that sharing spread worldwide, one post from a former "star trek" actor say, quote, quit whining and workout to his 9 million followers. posting the video with a slightly different music variation. >> it makes fitness fun. >> reporter: most of the comments have been positive. there's been a few negative reactions about her hurting herself but most of the people have been doing what i'm doing, sending back their own videos and pictures. >> they were doing different things with it. >> reporter: no matter number of recreations or comments, both positive and negative, she is hoping they all get the message. >> what i want to show people is that fitness is something

you can do it anywhere. and you can use anything. >> reporter: in this case, don't forget the corkscrew. >> my kind of workout. >> not bad. >> no whining. well, the sixth annual media carting competition begins died and that means the fire stone grand prix of st. pete is not far behind. >> that's right. in order to celebrate, we strapped aa into the driver seat of a go-cart in palmetto. >> yeah! >> reporter: and with that, i was ready to take on the florida press corp in the sixth annual media carting competition. >> one thing is clear, the separations are starting here -- the celebrations are starting here. >> reporter: the news channel 8 team was stacked with experienced drivers who have already raced down the streets of st. pete. >> killer race event. so much fun. incredible racing action on track. >> i got to the tell you, one of the toughest tracks i have driven on, cars bouncing off each other and the walls.

were ready to give me advice on how to drive. >> let me tell you, all or wall. that's what you have to remember. when in doubt, flat out. okay? there's never a time you lift off of the gas pedal. i know the one on the left looks appealing but never touch that brake pedal. >> reporter: once i got strapped in, i was ready to rumble and rock it until the wheels fell off. the cars go up to 45 miles per hour. so i wanted to know, what some of my teammates thought. >> you can just beat on each other. >> reporter: and probably the most talked about race of the day, the mayor's challenge where the st. pete mayor is the champ and i talked to him about strategy. >> they've got us racing in the other direction than we have run on the track. so i think it's going to be a very competitive race. they're all gunning for me. i have a feeling people are going to be trying to hit me. knock me off the track.

already here, it needs to stay in palmetto. so i think i will be trying to win. >> reporter: but 10 laps in, the st. pete mayor pulled the hat trick of mayor challenges, he would go on to win it for the third year in a row. >> great job. >> thank you. >> thank you very much, mayors. >> reporter: as for me and my teammate, i'll just say, we finished in the top three. no thanks of course to the little tortus that could. news channel 8. >> still going. >> love it. coming up, a gorilla in space. how this costume made to it the international space station. and show you more of this crazy video when first at 4:00

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>> now, let's take a look at what's trending online today. >> beginning with a canadian who really likes the snow. here is how he woke up with a face full of fresh snow. how cute is this? the toronto zoo posted this adorable video of their giant panda last week and it's trending online today. according to the zoo, the panda woke up, saw the snow, and got really excited. came out of his cave almost head first and made it halfway back up the hill only to do it again. he clearly loves the snow. and we love this video. very cute. >> and i'm sure you have seen this today. it is a little monkey business

a gorilla going bananas. yikes. actually, it is astronaut scott kelly who burst out of a box and started chasing timothy peak. it is is a gift from his brother mark kelly who sent it in a care package. he has been on the iss since march of last year. he will be returning next week. >> you get a little bored up there i would imagine. >> coming back will be a transition living like that! probably going a little crazy up there. >> i like that. and to see what is trending now, you can get updates between newscasts by going to wfla.com. >> and we have much more news coming your way. >> newschannel8 news at 5:00 with keith and jenn starts rite now. >> right now on newschannel8 at 5:00. >> she is charged in a deadly hit and run. tonight, we reveal video of her 2010 drunk driving arrest. >> and president barack obama laying out a plan to shut down the detention facility at guantanamo bay, cuba.

debate. >> and her privacy violated by a stalker. erin andrews is in court demanding the hotel be held accountable. i'm jennifer leigh. >> i'm keith cate. thank you very much for joining us tonight. we are getting several reports of tornadoes in the new orleans area and that storm system is headed for florida. you can see in this video from livingston, louisiana, a funnel cloud beginning to form over the hills. >> on i-10 in prairieville, drivers were shocked when what appeared to be a tornado them. you can see swirling winds and some debris around the base of the cloud. >> steve jerve joins us now from the forecast center. >> he is keeping an eye on the radar for us. steve? >> reporter: some intense thunderstorms in this part of the area with an area of low pressure coming out of the west.